Philip Millar

Program

Human Health & Nutritional Sciences

About my research

My research focuses on understanding how the sympathetic nervous system is involved in regulating arterial pressure and blood flow at rest and during exercise or stress in healthy and diseased humans. We use microneurography, a technique similar to acupuncture, that allows us to directly record muscle sympathetic nerve activity in real time in humans. As head of the Human Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory at the University of Guelph, my research groups seeks to understand the integrative mechanisms controlling sympathetic activity and to develop interventions to target sympathetic over-activity common in many cardiovascular disease states.

How my research improves life

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Canada. A common feature of many of these disease states and associated risk factors is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (i.e., increased sympathetic activity and decreases parasympathetic activity). My research is focused on the integrative regulation of the sympathetic nervous system in human health and disease, and the functional consequences of such control on systemic and regional hemodynamics.

Why choose U of G?

The Department of Human Health & Nutritional Sciences offers a cutting edge, vibrant research program with collaborative faculty interested in asking important scientific questions and supporting the growth of its students. My lab is one of a few in Canada that can perform the powerful microneurography technique.